Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/txbzbx/embedded) has announced the addition of the "Embedded Intelligence: Why the Smart Home Isn't Smart" report to their offering.

There are many words that tend to achieve overuse within the tech industry. "Paradigm" was one of them; "Cloud" is getting to that point; and "Big Data" will probably achieve a similar over-used cachet. In the consumer electronics space, the term "smart" is very much over-hyped, and is rapidly taking on the attributes of a sick joke - at least from the perspective of the dismayed consumer.

What is smart about a watch that comes with a two inch thick user manual; or a new printer that requires several trips to the Geek Squad and an hour of intense research before it can be configured? If smart is an appropriate approbation for such devices, then it is coming to signify to consumers that there needs to be some user smarts to make them work.

Into this morass of smartness comes the smart home. The smart home inserts home automation into the mix; where, from a simple remote control, the consumer can operate the thermostat, raise and lower blinds, and control the lighting levels - but only if all of those devices talk a similar language.

Now, however, mix in home entertainment systems, security systems, and utility management. Consider that each of those systems has a different set of controls, different app's on the smartphone and different failure modes.

Of course, this problem is not new: home entertainment systems still suffer from a myriad of interface conventions and different settings. This has been addressed, at least to some extent, with universal remote controls, which one sets to understand each device, and which can then be programmed to manage all of them for such activities as watching television.

Now evolving is a new class of universal remotes that extend control from entertainment to things like home automation. Yet, such devices are not dynamic, nor do they include auto detection of new smart devices. This report suggests a new approach to smart homes: one which is based on applying intelligence to smart technology to achieve a connected home. It examines the current state of affairs in the smart home market; then, it examines ways in which the smart home can be made...well, smart.

In effect, this report looks at how the smart home can morph into the connected home; a much different animal. It will be of interest to service providers, technology vendors, and smart home solution providers.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

3. Smart Mayhem: The Crowded Smart Home

4. Beyond a Smart Home Universal Remote

5. Augmented Reality as a Solution

6. Implications for Connected Home Technology Vendors

7. The Last Word

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/txbzbx/embedded